Arch-support



W. M. SCHOLL.

ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1918.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Imfen or wizzkzm Mfiiojl A T E- T 0 F Ft c WILLIAM M. SGI-IOLL, 0F GHICAGQ, ILLINOIS.

ARCH-SUPPORT.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. SoHoLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention provides an improved arch support of the type known as flexible and has for its general objects to afford a simple, inexpensive and eflicient construction for securing to a flexible base or cover piece of leather one or more pad elements by which desired elevation is afforded in a fashion that will permit adjustment of the pad element or elements best to comply with i the special requirements of the user.

To these general ends my invention consists in the features of'construction and relation of parts hereinafter claimed, an embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of an arch support for operating on the longitudinal arch only. of the human foot; Fig. 2 is a similar view with a flap raised; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view showing a modification with parts broken away.

In the drawings 10 is a leather base or cover piece, shaped to provide the heel portion 11 to fit in the heel of a shoe, the shank portion 12 with a side wing 13 to interfit with the shank of the shoe and extend some what up the inner side thereof adjacent the high portion of the instep arch, and 14 is the front end preferably cut to lie under the ball ofthe foot and suitably skived as at 15 to make smooth contact with the shoe sole. 16 indicates a pad element, preferably of felt, leather, or other homogeneous flexible material, of which pads it is desirable to place one or more under the particular portion or portions of the foot affected by breaking down of the longitudinal or transverse arch of the foot, and which it is desirable to locate with especial reference to the foot conditions of the individual user. It will be understood that these pads may be supplied in various forms, sizes and thicknesses, and that such pads will have their edges' skived where desirable for making smoothly graduated contact with the adjacent parts," two such pads 16 and 16 beingv shown in superposed relation in Fig. 4. It 'will be understood, therefore,that the word pad Specification of Letters Patent.

button type. course be sufficient to fully cover the pad,

Patented nee. 14, teen.

1918. Serial No. 230,012.

as hereinafter employed, may be read in singular or plural number unless the context is plainly to the contrary.

At a point or points on the underside of the cover piece 10 where it is apt that padding may need be approximately centered,

and where a stifiness slightly more than normal will not be uncomfortable to the foot, as for instance at a point'of the shank portion near the base of the wing 13, or a point of the front portion somewhat back from the end of the cover piece (such points corresponding with parts of the foot that are normally not pressure-bearing) pad fastening appliances 18 are secured to the cover piece, these fastenings preferably taking form of pliant metal straps, each having a,

head 19 and Jointed prongs 20, kindred to a headless cGill fastener. Each fastener 18 is secured in place by extending its prongs through a flexible retainin strap 21 of leather, fabric or the like, t at is ceinented as at 22 or otherwise secured to the underside of the cover piece, holdingthe and cover piece.

head 19 between the strap Thepad, unless of material soft enough to be readily penetrable by the fastener prongs,

may have apertures 23 in different locations,

so that by passing the prongs through a suitable part of the pad, and bending the prongs flat, the pad may be secured in any desired adjusted position. The flap 25, of thin, flexible material such as leather, or fabric, is secured at one edge, preferably one conforming to the edge of thecover piece nearest the fastening 18, to said cover piece as by stitching 26, and at one or more points adjacent its free edge or edges it is detachably fastened to the cover piece, the means shown in this illustration being glove fastening means 27 of the ordinary snap- The size of the flap will of and if desired a single flap with suitable fasteners may cover the padding arranged at a plurality of points.

It will be noted that the construction described gives a facility in the matter of adjustment, coupled with a certainty of retention of the adjustment, with respect to enables the individual user to change the at all times, and that from the manufacturthe padding that is highly desirable and that 7 ing standpoint the construction is' particularly desirable in its simpliclty and economy with respect to both material and labor.

While I have herein described in some detail the particular embodiment of my invention it will be understood that changes in specific construction may be made without departure of the spirit of my invention within the scope'of the appended claims.

10 What I claim is:

1. In an instep arch support, the combination of a flexible cover-piece shaped to fit in'the heel and shank portions of a shoe, a readily-bendable metallic pad-receptive fastener permanently mounted on the un derside of said cover-piece, and a flexible pad engageable by said fastener at differentpoints near the middle of the pad positively to locate the padin selectively-determined position with respect to the cover-piece.

2. In an arch support, a flexible cover piece shaped to be positioned Within the heel and shank of a shoe, pad fastening means carried by said cover piece, a pad engageable by said means positively to locate the pad with respect to the cover piece, and a flap at one edge secured to said cover piece and at another edge detachably connected with said cover piece, underlying the pad.

3. In an arch support, a flexible leather cover-piece shaped to fit in the heel and shank portions of a shoe, a readily bendable metallic fastener, having elongated prongs, secured permanently to the underside of the zss'leather cover-piece, a flexible pad through which the prongs pass near the middle of the pad to secure the pad positively to theccoverpiece in a selectively-determined position,

and a second leather piece secured to the 40 cover-piece and underlying the pad.

4. An arch support comprising a leather cover piece, pad fastening means comprising a pliant metal device having a flat head and separable prongs, a retaining strap engaging said fastener head and secured to the under-side of the cover piece and permanently located thereon to position said fastening means in register with a normally In an arch support, the combination of a cover-piece shaped to fit the shank and heel portions of a shoe, a flap attached at one edge to the cover-piece and near its other edge detachably connected with the cover-piece, and a pad detachably interposed between the cover-piece and the flap.

6. In an arch support,'the combination of a cover-piece shaped to 'fit the shank and heel portions of a shoe, a flap attached along its .inner edge to the cover-piece and near its outer edge detachably connected with the cover-piece, and a pad detachably interposed between the cover-piece and the flap.

7; In an arch support, the combination of a cover-piece, substantially as described, a

flap attached at one edge to the-cover-piece and near its other edge detachably connected with the cover-piece, and a pad interposed between the cover-piece and the flap and detachably connected to one thereof;

WILLIAM M. SCHOLL. 

